1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of amusement park attraction apparatus. In particular, this invention relates to a ride assembly especially adapted for rotational movement, wherein a cylinder is rotated within an enclosure in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction in synchronization with movements in a projected image showing a "rider's eye" view from a moving motorcycle, airplane, car, etc. The result is a feeling of motion and a simulated experience of doing the projected activity.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Apparatuses presently utilized in amusement park attractions range from inexpensive and simple observation systems, based on motion pictures exhibiting visually stimulating scenery, to expensive and sophisticated flight simulators. In the simple systems, a chamber containing a viewer slowly moves resulting in the viewer feeling an illusion of motion. The viewer may be stationed in a chamber propelled in a gondola, a train, a boat or a submarine, riding along a trackway. Most sophisticated systems include complex computer-assisted simulation apparatuses for flying or driving. These systems comprise a platform located on hydraulic actuators with three or more degrees of freedom that tilt the platform or move it up and down; the movements may include simultaneous pitch, roll, and yaw as well as ascent and descent.
A number of patents describe prior art systems as follows.
An amusement apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,097,627 issued to G. C. Hale on May 26, 1914, for exhibiting pictures taken from towers, mountain tops, balloons, etc., so that a user may view scenery at a low altitude that is ordinarily observed at high altitudes. The apparatus of Hale includes an elevator/reception room, an observatory/auditorium, an endless translucent belt positioned next to the reception room, view screens for the observatory, and means for projecting views and scenery on the various screens and the belt.
Another amusement device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,833,540 issued to D. H. Scott et al. on Jun. 16, 1931. A passenger car is propelled along a trackway within an enclosure for maintaining darkness along the trackway where effect apparatuses are arranged along the trackway within the enclosure. The device of Scott et al., includes a trackway passing through a cylindrical tube that has luminescent stars painted on a black background in the inner surface of the cylinder. A passenger car propelled along the trackway passes through the cylinder as the cylinder rotates for giving a passenger "the illusion of moving, as revolving, in infinite space."
Yet another amusement device for simulating flight in the cabin of a passenger-carrying aircraft is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,844,852 issued to S. T. Harvey on May 13, 1929. In this device, a theater is constructed to resemble an aircraft cabin having a floor that is moved in a predetermined manner to simulate flying. A motion picture is displayed at the front of the theater taken of actual flying. A "pilot" at the front of the theater manipulates controls of the "would-be" airplane and airplane wings are disposed about the pilot. Wind effects and droning noise are also produced.
A submarine simulator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,934 issued to J. S. Warhurst et al. on Mar. 6, 1968, that includes an environmental tank, a cab simulating a submersible vehicle, and an optical system for unprogrammed training in underwater navigation and reconnaissance.
An observation/interpretation system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,326 issued to Schauffler on Jan. 20, 1976, that includes a lighter-than-air vehicle having a gondola that is maintained in a fixed position. The gondola includes an observation window and audio and olfactory accompaniment. A projection device projects images on a curved screen below the vehicle to simulate flight when viewed from the gondola.
An amusement ride creating the illusion that a passenger is seated in a rapidly maneuvering vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,256 issued to Douglas Trumbull on Jan. 3, 1978. The ride includes a passenger-holding frame having three locations resting on hydraulic rams for tilting the frame or moving it up and down. It further includes a film projector and viewing screen connected to the frame that moves with the frame. The rams tilt the frame to simulate forces of a moving vehicle in a motion picture displayed on the viewing screen.
A ride assembly for simulating travel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,140 issued to R. W. Fogerty, Jr. on Feb. 17, 1981, that includes a housing having a moveable base adapted for carrying seated passengers, a pair of supporting carriage members with the base fixedly mounted to a lower carriage member, a motion picture projector and sound system for projecting a sound motion picture on a spherical inner surface of the housing. The housing is mounted on the base to move with it. Motors independently drive the pair of supporting carriage members.
A trip motion simulator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,236 issued to Czarnecki on Dec. 1, 1981, comprising a capsule for holding seated people that is mounted on a supporting structure. The supporting structure includes pitch and roll cradles to space the capsule from a floor or base surface and having drive mechanisms for "rockably" actuating the cradles to move the capsule. A movie screen may be located at the front of capsule for displaying projected images.
An electronic amusement center for a multiple number of consoles that are connected to a master computer system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,069 issued to C. B. Crudgington, Jr. on Oct. 16, 1984. Each console contains a variety of controls for regulating movement in a computer simulated environment and is operated by one or more participants. The computer simulated environment is shared by all the participants. The consoles also contain displays that show each participant moving in the simulated environment.
An amusement ride apparatus with a plurality of individually tiltable frames for moving and tilting seated passengers viewing a motion picture is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,376 issued to Douglas Trumbull et al. on Jan. 17, 1989. The plurality of individually tiltable frames are all moved in synchronism, each by a separate set of actuators. The passenger holding frame is pivoted up and down on a beam supported by two largely vertical actuators while two pairs of links limit movement of the beam.
A video simulation machine for simulating various movements, such as flying or driving is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,771 issued to D. R. Nelson et al. on Aug. 15, 1989. The machine comprises a simulated cockpit of an airplane or other vehicle wherein one or two persons may recline or be seated containing movement controls and a monitor for displaying simulated pictures responsive to the movement controls. The controls include a joystick control and a foot control. The machine simulates movements including simultaneous pitch, roll, and yaw as well as ascent and descent. The rotating parts of the simulator are driven by electric motors that are controlled by both the operator and a computer.
A point-of-view motion simulator system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,849 issued to Fred Hollingsworth, III et al. on Nov. 14, 1989, that comprises three coordinated components or sub-systems. The first sub-system consists of seats, rods, bearings and hydraulic cylinders for mechanically conveying participants occupying the seats. The second sub-system located in the hydraulic circuit for converting electrical signals for the mechanical system. The third sub-system is the electrical circuitry incorporating a projector for projecting a moving image on a screen to produce a series of motion signals to individually move the seats according to motion in the point-of-view film.
An earthquake simulator for a theme park that provides an earthquake sensation to a large group of people (e.g., twenty-five to sixty persons) is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,412 issued to Joop Roodenburg et al. on Apr. 23, 1991. The earthquake simulator comprises a platform having seats for the plurality of people and three hydraulic cylinders are attached to the platform and the underframe for providing three degrees of freedom. The hydraulic cylinders are part of a hydraulic circuit controlled by a microprocessor.
A simulator for shooting down the rapids is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,772 issued to Shazo Ninomiya et al. on Feb. 1, 1994. A platform is installed on one side of a water channel in which a boat moves and a theater zone is installed on the other side. In the theater zone, a boat swaying device and a wind generating device are installed that are operated in synchronization with a picture projected on a screen in the theater by a projector. The boat is swayed in synchronization with the projected picture.